The second phase of Renaissance will soon be a reality.
The development will feature more than 115,000 square feet of new commercial development and entertainment for Ridgeland, Madison County and out-of-town residents.
Construction should start the first of April according to Community Development Director Alan Hart. “I don’t know the timeline.” But Hart said some of the commercial spaces within the development should be filled by spring or summer of next year.
“All they’ve submitted to us is just the shell of the building.”
In January, Ridgeland officials approved the Renaissance shopping center as an overlay district, allowing developers to add certain amenities to the shopping center that would otherwise not be permissible.
A nail salon, brew pub, craft beer sales establishment, and two drive-through food locations might be part of the development, according to the new approval. A boutique theater, featuring waiter service, will be part of the development.
“This is similar to what was done to the overlay district for the Township,” Mayor Gene McGee said in January.
“Normally an overlay district is done at the beginning of development to establish elevated architectural guidelines,” Ward 1 Alderman Ken Heard said. “It just gives the city more control over what develops for that project.”
Because Renaissance has already been built, making it an overlay district at this point in time is unusual, Heard told the Sun late last year.
“This one is unusual in that it’s established after the fact. The original intent from the developers is to get the rights for additional uses that might not be otherwise possible.”
OTHER items will require more discussion and consideration from the board, according to Heard.
“The aldermen and I have talked to (developer Andrew Mattiace) about shortening the list… There was a daycare concept talked about. We really want to make sure that’s nailed down… The developer felt like that could have some potential applications for people that work at office buildings in the area.”
Other discussions have included an arcade and gaming restaurant and a bowling alley.
Additionally, the board has asked the developer to address future development in terms of architecture.
“We want to make sure we have additional control and (the district) develops the same. This would be for the present owner or whoever might own it in the future. It gives us control either way,” Heard said. “New buildings and uses will be developed with the same architectural standards as what’s in there now. The developers seem to have no problem with that.”
The overlay district will only apply to the existing Renaissance shopping center and will not include Renaissance phase 3 (Costco) or the Township shopping center, which is already its own overlay district.
“Just that development — the original Renaissance and the north end… That’s where most of (the new amenities) have to go.”
